And yes, Amy does declare in Sonic Adventure that she'll have Sonic
chasing after her, "but by then it'll be too late!" Take this to its
logical conclusion.

Until recently, I was completely unexposed to Britain's version of the Sonic
comic... and then, out of sheer curiosity, I delved into this mysterious world.
Not that bad, in my opinion; the characters evolved in a different direction
than they did in the Archie series, and it's a refreshing look at some familiar
characters - especially, in this case, Amy Rose.

If I understand correctly, before she ever weilded her Pikopiko Hammer
Fleetway (the producers of the UK comic) saw fit to form Amy into an marksman
and gave her a bow. This became a crossbow later in the series. Since I wanted
to combine the storylines I returned her hammer (though considering its light
weight and unnecessary bulkiness she'll probably use the crossbow more often).
In the end this Amy is inspired by the Fleetway version of the Sonic comic with
small touches here and there.